LEAVE YOUR SMARTPHONE ALONE

Texting, hail to the new normal of our world where looking down is more important than life itself.

Is texting making you less human? For many people the answer is yes because the smartphone addiction is a hard habit to break.

Why oh why have we not learned that texting is an evil that can instantly cost you your life, someone else’s life or your job.

Do you ever catch yourself saying this?

It will never happen to me.

I will never get caught.

No one is watching.

It was only a second.

It takes only a second, to die or get injured. One second! You can never take that second back.

As a new parent I’m skeptical to leave our son with anyone because these days I wonder what kind of care he would get. I’m sure I’ll get over it but any parent will tell you they worry about their child even when they are not with them.

If you bring your child to daycare or any other activity that requires someone to watch your child you want to make sure they are 100% protected from harm. Accidents do happen but when they are the fault of the employee or the employer because of negligence it’s never acceptable.

These days you can easily find a licensed daycare that offers parents video surveillance from their computer or smartphone. That means they can watch their child throughout the day while they are being cared for. This is a plus for many parents when searching for a daycare facility for their child.

Employers are struggling to keep smartphones away from the job and with that comes policies. The employer is looking to protect themselves and the employee from potential lawsuits. Even teachers are struggling to get the kids to leave their smartphones out of the classroom while they are teaching. Distractions won’t help you get to the next level.

Even though companies create employee policies which employees read and sign in their employment contract, that doesn’t mean they will be followed. If you are fired for just cause which is a fundamental breach of the employment contract you may not be entitled to severance pay or notice. This also means the burden of proof is on the employer and in the following case that you will read about below the video likely was enough proof for termination.

According to the Employment Standards in Manitoba

The circumstances and specific facts of each case must be considered to determine if there is just cause. Just cause can vary depending on the employee’s conduct, the type of business, the employee’s position, and the employer’s policies or practices, among many other factors. The following are some examples that may constitute just cause:

Theft

Dishonesty

Violence

Wilful misconduct

Habitual neglect of duty

Disobedience

Conflict of interest

What is Just Cause?

In 1967, the Ontario Court of Appeal set out the following definition of just cause at R. v Arthurs[3], which continues to be referred to today:

“If an employee has been guilty of serious misconduct, habitual neglect of duty, incompetence, or conduct incompatible with his duties, or prejudicial to the employer’s business, or if he has been guilty of wilful disobedience to the employer’s orders in a matter of substance, the law recognizes the employer’s right summarily to dismiss the delinquent employee.”

The onus (or responsibility) of proving cause for dismissal of an employee lies with the employer. Employers should be aware that there is no middle ground or “near cause.” If the employer cannot prove just cause on the balance of probabilities, the employee will be deemed to be wrongfully dismissed and the employer will be responsible to pay monetary damages arising from the dismissal. Source

Your phone is not your world

It doesn’t matter where I go these days there will always be someone with their head buried in their smartphone texting without any regard to their surroundings.

It’s like people go into a social media trance and forget about the real world. I’m not joking when I say that I continually see people driving and texting even though there are many videos online about what can happen when texting and driving. What could be more important than a life?

If you haven’t heard about the employee at a company called Funtopia in Surrey, British Columbia who was fired for ignoring a child who was crying just mere feet away from her as she was hanging on a rock wall. Granted she was in a harness and was safe this was no excuse that the oblivious employee passed the child off for over a minute to continue texting. The mother of the child used her smartphone to video what she could so she had proof of the employee misconduct.

Considering the girl was safe there may be a time when another child is not and this employee clearly had no regard for her job or the safety of customers which should take precedence.

The mother then posted the video to Facebook which clearly went viral as such because I don’t know any parent that would put up with actions like this. I didn’t get to see the video as it’s been removed but I’m sure if I did I’d be a fuming parent as well.

To Video or Not To Video

Was the mother right or wrong for not dropping everything to help her child? Well, it boils down to opinion which is scattered in this case.

Some people criticized the mom for taking the video and not getting the employee to aid her child. What if the mom wasn’t there? What if this employee ignores another child and something fatal happens or serious injury?

If smartphones weren’t invented any other parent would have charged in the room freaking out so the employee helped the child. The problem with technology today is that too many people are relying on it for evidence and without it sometimes nothing is done but a slap on the wrist. It’s a tough, tough world we live in especially when you have to make a split decision about what is socially right and wrong when all you want to do is spread awareness.

The next child hanging or crying for help might be mine, might be yours, might be of someone you know. What would you do? Do you believe that by the mother posting the video on Facebook she was bullying the employee as she now has a lifetime of public shaming that may haunt her forever. These days though, everybody has an opinion and a smartphone.

Welcome to the world of smartphone rules my life!

Andy Keeping

@Dearth you realise only the employee is able to operate the ropes right? The mother isn’t trained and had she tried to help would likely face legal issues. The employee was charged with her care, it was a legal contract the moment the mother signed her up. If anything recording her lack of attention potentially saved the lives of other kids in the future

Julius No, Ph.D.

I get that you wanted evidence but I have to admit that if it was my kid up there terrified I would not have been able to stop myself from rescuing her immediately.

[Happy Lani/Facebook] and CBC article

As a parent you have to make a snap decision based on what you see of your child. Clearly the mother didn’t think that her child was in any danger but felt this was inappropriate behaviour that MUST be dealt with if her child was ever to return for safety reasons.

If you think for one minute that the employee would quit texting on the job, you’re wrong especially if the mother had no proof of her doing it. How can an employer terminate an employee without any concrete evidence? It becomes he said/she said and no one wins.

Inventing the smartphone may have turned the technology world into an evil crazed mess of immediate communication mongers but it has also been good for saving many lives as well as taking lives.

Stop texting

The cure for texting is to do it when it’s appropriate. That means abide by the law when driving and keep your smartphones tucked away out of sight. If you are at work avoid taking your cell phone with you on the job where texting becomes like a chocolate bar to you, a sweet craving. If you don’t keep junk food in the house you likely won’t eat it. If you keep your smartphone off your body or your work area you likely will not try to use it for texting.

Some employers allow smartphones on the job (like mine) and don’t mind if their employees use them. In this case if you are permitted to use them or if your job requires you to carry a smartphone make sure that your first priority is the safety of yourself, employees and anything to do with your job. If it’s not work-related wait until you are on break or heading out for the day to start texting.

Losing your job can be a huge hit to any household budget especially if there is a mortgage/rent to pay and a family to care for. You certainly don’t want to explain why you were fired to your family when common sense dictates that personal texting is not part of your role at work.

Applying for another job may be difficult when a potential employer wants to hear about your previous employer in a job interview. If you’ve been employed with a company for many years your resume likely will reflect this and all the experience you’ve gained while working there. Even though they can’t discriminate against you the last thing you need is a mark on your work record for texting on the job. Remember, what is online stays online so anyone can see it.

I know many of you who carry a smartphone at work may read this and say that you are able to have your phone with you and are not tempted by it. If that’s the case, then you don’t need it out at all, put it away.

Going through drive-thru the other day at a local coffee shop I was greeted by an employee who needed to finish texting before handing me my coffee. Nothing says you care less about a customer than putting your smartphone or a telephone ahead of them.

If you don’t need a smartphone save yourself the monthly bill and go out in public smartphone-naked and invest the money you save in your retirement fund. I haven’t bought a smartphone since moving to Canada and on occasion use my wife’s at home, but that’s as far as it goes. It’s a liberating feeling knowing that no one can bother me when I’m not plugged in at home or at work. Life is freedom like it used to be before the newest technology crashed into this world.

How would you feel if someone was injured or even died because of your ignorance due to texting? Your life will forever be changed as many have experienced by their actions. If you don’t want to take the rules about texting seriously then you may suffer the consequences.

Imagine the public shame in causing injury or death but worst of all the pain you would cause a family and their loved ones.

Hopefully, this employee learned her lesson and will put her smartphone away wherever her employment journey takes her next. Social media shaming is believed to be the only way to attract employer attention and others who think that it’s OK to do something when it’s not. These are real world problems that will continue to be exposed in the media as long as there is no law saying that it shouldn’t happen. Sometimes it sucks to be the example so think before you act.

Do you see other employees playing on their cell phones? How has your employer handled such cases?

CBB Week At A Glance

I had a few days off this week and it was nice to finally not use an alarm clock to get up in the morning. The crappy part is that I still got called in on Monday for an emergency but at least it was only a few hours and I was still able to salvage the day with my family by attacking the mall.

This week we both tried to catch up with stuff around the house including doing our taxes which are pretty much done. I started the renovation in the upstairs main bathroom which is a start but far from what I still need to carry out. The good thing is we have a plumber friend that can help me out which will lower the costs of the renovation.

Other than shovelling the drive-way about 5 times it was a successful week!

How was your week?

-Mr.CBB

Awesome posts published this week

Just in case you’ve missed any of my blog posts this week I will share them all below. If you are looking for past Saturday Weekend Review posts scroll down to the bottom of this post where I will list up to 5 previous weeks for you to read.

If you have a question that you would like to ask Mr.CBB fill out the Contact Mr.CBB form on the blog home page and I’ll do my best to reply to each one. If you want to share a story via a Fan Question please ensure that there is minimum 500 words and lots of details…we love details! I’m more than happy to chat via email to bring your story to life.

New: If your story submission gets chosen and published you will be entered into a yearly draw for a $25 Gift Card or $25 CDN via PayPal if you are from the USA.

Right now CBB is posting Tuesday (Grocery Game Challenge), Thursday (Personal Finance Post), Saturday (Personal Finance and Weekly Wrap-Up and a Frugal Recipe on Sunday!

Budget Brags

Hi Mr.CBB and Fans,

Budget brag! Today my favorite discount bin held these treasures: 6 oranges for 86 cents, the Knox gelatin was regular $3.79 each but were $.99. Ea and the Maxwell House half-caff coffee was regular price here $7.49 ea and paid $.99 ea. Total regular price for all except the oranges is $22.56. I paid $3.96 for a saving of $18.60. Not to shabby for this country mouse!– Colleen K.

Submit your Deal or Brag:

Saving money while grocery shopping is essential in the CBB family and that’s why we share our grocery shops every week in The Grocery Game Challenge .

Join the Budget Brag Challenge 2016 and WIN!!!

What I love the most is when my fans share their amazing shops with me whether it be groceries or other deals they find at a garage sale, online or freebies! In 2016 if you send your Budget Brag you will automatically get entered into a yearly draw for a surprise gift card.

If your Budget Brag gets chosen you get an extra ballot! So start sending in your brags with a photo and write-up telling me about your deals. If you are from the USA and win I will PayPal you the money in CDN dollars. Open to Canada and USA only.

If you have a brag that you want me to share email me at canadianbudgetbinder@yahoo.(ca) < remove brackets) or fill out my contact form by Friday each week to have your brag considered for the Saturday post.

Making A Difference (MAD)

Welcome to the 2016 Making A Difference series!

If you are a personal finance blogger (anywhere around the world) and would like your blog to be MAD featured simply drop me an email and I’ll explain the process to you. I’m currently booking for April/May 2016!

This is my way of giving back to the personal finance community through networking and sharing knowledge with my fans. Today it is my pleasure to share with you the blog, Remember to Water.

Hi Mr.CBB and Fans,

My name is Tom. I live in Australia and work in operational risk for a large financial institution down here. After paying off my house I found I missed having a goal for the money I earned. Rather than just starting to spend it, I decided to aim for what lots of others have: Financial Independence. To help myself and others I thought I would document the journey so I started the Remember To Water blog.

The name Remember To Water came from my gardening ability, or lack thereof. I never remembered to water my indoor plants. This led to year after year of failing to keep the plants alive until I eventually gave up.

Everyone’s financial life is like an indoor plant (and eventually a whole garden). It needs to be cared for, nurtured, and be checked on from time to time. Thankfully I find finances easier to maintain than indoor plants. This is probably because finance is a topic that I love.

My blog is about personal finance, but more specifically I have three goals for my blog:

I wanted to keep a history of my thoughts and actions over time. Putting them online means that I (and others) can hold myself accountable for the plans and goals I set. It will be a record over time of my path towards financial independence and allow me to “put my money where my mouth is”.

I wanted to share what I have, and will, learn along the way, with others. I have learnt a lot from a number of blogs over the years and want to not only give back but be a more active member of the community. I also love having other people challenge my thoughts – especially if it causes me to rethink and improve my position on a topic.

There is nothing better than an active community for providing that sounding board. I am a fan of continuous learning/improvement, but if you don’t change your thoughts and behaviours based on those learnings, you are missing the point.

A distant but equally motivating third reason is to see if I can attract enough readers to allow me to pay for the website hosting. I would love it if I could pay for the bills my blog creates.

You may be able to tell that I like things in threes, and again I have three main things that I hope readers will be able to get from my site and my posts.

I hope that my readers will find the content both interesting and informative. With everything I write I try and make sure that it is at least one of those, and preferably both. If a reader both enjoys reading what I write and gets practical learnings they can take away from it, I count that as a big win.

In my work I have a knack for turning complex topics into easy to understand information. It is not always easy using only text and images, but it is definitely how I hope to make a difference. Over the coming years I intend to build up a library of easy to understand information about personal finance. If people find that useful, that is a second win.

Finally I would like to help promote financial discussion and community, with a slight bent towards Australia (given that is where I live). I hope to be part of a group of like-minded people who share ideas, thoughts and plans. Over time those plans will both come to fruition, and potentially fail. Both of those moments are best shared with others. To help each other through the losses and celebrate the wins.

Well that is all from me. I am on twitter if anyone wants to ask me any questions. Otherwise keep reading the rest of the CBB post and feel free to pop over when you’re done!

Thanks!

Tom

Top Recipe

Food and grocery shopping is a BIG part of CBB because food is a large part of the budget which people struggle the most with.

If you are someone who would rather buy convenience meals or products consider cooking homemade meals or baking from scratch.

Not only will you save money but you will be proud of what you’ve accomplished and you’ll see that from the smiles on those you feed.

For the past 2 years I’ve had a second Facebook page called The Free Recipe Depot where I exclusively share recipes from Food Bloggers around the world.

I also share recipes on the blog on Sunday either made by home cook and mom Nicola Don or myself.

This week our Top Recipe Pick goes to Kathleen over at Gonna Want Seconds has this heavenly Coconut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting that literally made me wish I had a slice along with my cuppa tea this evening. This would also make a great cake for Easter where you could add chocolate eggs or other Easter treats to dress it up. I like recipes that talk to you like that. Simply the best!

Top DIY Project

Michelle over at Crafty Morning caught my attention this week with this brilliant idea to use pom poms and clothes-pin to paint with for Easter.

We just happen to have paint, pom poms and clothes pins along with construction paper so we’ll definitely be doing this easy Easter craft with our son this year.

What I love about this craft is that you can buy all the products at the Dollar Store so it’s super frugal and you can use the items more than once.

For under $5 you will have plenty of craft items to go around a few kids. If you have a chance check out The Dollar Store where you can find all sorts of kids crafts, crayons, markers, paper and much more for a fraction of what you would pay at craft stores such as Michaels in Canada.

Since our son will not be going to Daycare it’s important for my wife and I to ensure that our son gets the best education at home before he heads to school. This includes creating crafts, story time, play time, outside time and so on.

What other activities do you offer your child if they will not be going to daycare?

Editor’s Pick

Every week I will pick a blog post of the week from around the web that I found interesting and want to share with all of you. Please head on over and give the post a read and let them know that Mr. CBB sent you if you comment. Thanks.

Editor’s pick (That’s me Mr.CBB) this week goes to Mr.1500 over at Investment Zen with a refreshing perspective on what a million dollars really can buy, happiness and why some people view money all wrong. Reading “How a Million Dollars Brought Me Happiness“, the story sounded like our life besides being millionaires. We don’t want the burden of financial worry and it’s true having no debt really does make waking up in the morning better as does enjoying your day. A great post!! Well done sir.

How readers find CBB

Every week I get thousands of people visit Canadian Budget Binder because they did a search online and found my blog. Any spelling errors below are because I share with you the exact way they typed their search engine query to land on my blog. Some of them are serious and others are meant to have a laugh.

Canadian Equivalent of Suze Orman– Ah, thanks but not this guy. I just like finance I’m not a guru… at least not yet.

Bought cheap pregnancy tests and can’t get a positive– My wife used Dollar Store pregnancy tests and she got MANY positives to say she was pregnant so they do work.

Can you get in trouble if items are priced wrong and you want them free?– No, they are not your parents and they won’t send you to the corner. You’ll be fine. Read up about SCOP and be informed. That way it takes away the stress you are feeling about speaking up.

Who is the Canadian equivalent of Dave Ramsey– I almost feel honoured this week, lol.

Marrying for security– Is a dumb idea!

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Mr. CBB was born and raised in the United Kingdom who then moved to Canada where he is a permanent resident. He recently became a father to a very busy toddler who allows him to be a kid at heart. He bought his first house at the age of 21 after University and his second at the age of 24. Both Mr.CBB and his wife are Debt and Mortgage Free and they did it all in under 5 years using a Budget. Canadian Budget Binder is a place where he shares their financial experiences with his readers and hopes to learn about theirs. Welcome to CBB!

Comments

I never text while driving or while taking care of my kids. I have seen these on the television and I don’t want to get in trouble because of texting. It’s easy to avoid these adverse effects of texting when you’re committed to being safe first.

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